Five classic drinking games

Basic games every drinker should know.

Fuzzy duck

Best for: A big group of people. Good icebreaker for new acquaintances.

Supplies: People and alcohol.

Gets you drunk? Unlikely

The rules: players sit round a table or in a circle on the floor. Each player has a drink in front of them, usually a shot of spirit.

If you make a mistake: You must down your shot. As the game goes on mistakes get more and more common, and you'll be likely to say "Does he F**ck?" or "F**k he does."

How to play: One player is nominated to start. They either say "fuzzy duck" or "ducky fuzz." If the first player said "fuzzy duck" then the player on their left can either say "fuzzy duck" or "does he". If the first player said "ducky fuzz" then the player on their right can either say "ducky fuzz" or "does he". If the second player in either direction repeats the first player then the play passes on to the next person round the table. They can say "fuzzy duck," "ducky fuzz," or "does he." The phrase "does he" reverses the play around the group i.e. switches from clockwise to anti-clockwise or vice-versa. It also has the effect of changing the phrase so "ducky fuzz" becomes "fuzzy duck" and vice-versa.

Two people can say "does he" one after another, then the play carries on in the same direction as before and with the same phrase. You cannot say the same phrase twice in one session. If you said "ducky fuzz" last time and the order of play means that you should say "ducky fuzz" again you must say "does he" so reversing the direction of play and the phrase. A session lasts until someone makes a mistake.

I have never

Best for: A group of close friends, major embarrassment

Get you drunk? Unlikely, good icebreaker though, and you could always lie!

Supplies: Alcohol and people

How to play: Everyone sits around around a table, or in a circle on the floor. One person goes first by making a true statement that begins with "I never...." For example, "I've never been to Bilbao." Then, if any other player has done what the person said, they simply drink. As the game progresses, the statements tend to get more personal and explicit. But the game only works when people are honest. However, if somebody drinks on an "I never..." no explanation is necessary. For example, if someone says, "I've never had sex with an animal" and someone ends up drinking to it, no explanation is needed, just a drink of affirmation. Of course you can ask for one!

The Name Game

Best for: Getting to know people

Supplies: People and beer.

Gets you drunk? If you're a slow thinker, yes

How to play: Everybody sits in a circle and someone starts by saying the name of someone famous, or pretty close to being famous as far as those people are concerned. The next person says a name that starts with the first letter of the last name of the previous name. For example: Bart Simpson - Sarah Cox - Chris Eubank - Erykah Badu - Betty Boo (change direction) - Barbie (direction change) - Baby Spice etc. Direction changes when first name and surname start with the same letter (Donald Duck, Betty Boo, Marilyn Monroe), or if the person has one name (Bubble, Cher, Madonna).

Indian Poker

Best for: Rainy/ skint nights in with your flatmates

Supplies: People, beer, and a deck of cards.

Gets you drunk? Can do

How to play: Each player is dealt one card that they can't look at. They must place the card on their foreheads so that everyone else can see the cards. That means you can see everyone's card but your own.

Dealer begins by betting that he has the highest card by saying how many drinks he wishes to bet. Players who don't think they can win fold and take as many drinks from their beer that the current bet is at. The player who ends up losing (with the lowest card) must drink the total of the bets.

Jenga

Best for: A night in with your mates/ post-pub

Supplies: "Jenga" (wooden block tower), players, and alcohol.

Gets you drunk? Merry, but often best to play when you've had a few already.

How to play: Build the tower. Take it in turns to remove a block with one hand and place it on top of the tower. If you successfully move a block according to the rules, you may command another player to drink. However, if you cause the tower to topple, you must drink an entire beer.

Alternative version: Write different phrases on the bottom of the pieces, like "Kiss the person on your left", "swap an article of clothing with player on your right", "Go again", "belly dance for two minutes". Play the game, and whoever removes the piece has to do what it says, as well as drink two fingers. If they refuse, they must drink four.